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Friday, September 18, 2015

Spotlight On...Jesse Thurston

Name: Jesse Thurston

Hometown: Boulder, CO

Education: Northwestern University

Favorite Credits: Last summer I got to perform in new short plays by Halley Feiffer, Todd Almond and Wendy Macleod as part of the World’s Fair Play Festival and that was a blast. I’m also a Company Member of Story Pirates and it’s consistently my favorite thing to do.

Why theater?: Because sometimes you need a break from snapchat.

Tell us about Tom Brady Explains Himself To You: Love him or hate him, Tom Brady is an emotional guy and I’m sure that Deflategate has taken a toll. The show imagines that in an effort to clear his name once and for all, Tom Brady comes to New York to do a one-man show and tell his side of the story.

What inspired you to write Tom Brady Explains Himself To You?: The ridiculous media circus that rose up around Deflategate has been completely out of control and the more Tom Brady said about the scandal, the worse everything seemed to get. I wanted to create a show that was appropriately over-the-top, and what’s more over-the-top than a one-man show?

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I’m inspired by theater that makes my heart race in spite of myself. I’m a sucker for acid insults, gospel choirs, pieces of the set falling down, things like that. Working with Story Pirates, I’m inspired every day by the bold simplicity of children.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Kendrick Lamar.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: If you want to see a disgusting kind of brilliance, check out the Holy Fuck Comedy Hour at the Annoyance in Williamsburg.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Alan Alda would play me in a movie called "I Finally Figured It Out".

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: I moved to New York right after Mr. Burns closed and I heard it blew minds.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Besides football? Dips.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A rock god.

What’s up next?: Running Tom Brady for the next month and then we’ll see!